After a quick shower, she pulled on a pair of black pants with a light blue blouse and grabbed her jacket in case she needed more formality. Adding a light silver necklace that a former boyfriend had given her, and stepping into her comfortable, but still adorable black flats, she headed out to meet, who, again?Checking her phone, she frowned. Wendy hadn’t told her his name. That was irksome. How did she know who she was going to meet? Well, she’d tell the hostess her name and hope he asked for her or find someone who looked as if they were looking for someone and ask. One thing she wasn’t was shy. Also, part of the job description.
Parking, she got out and heard her stomach growl. She’d worked hard all day and hadn’t eaten since lunch. Maybe mystery client would be hungry, too. That would be very nice, otherwise, she’d grab something on the way home, and just hope her stomach didn’t growl too much.
Walking in the door of Charlie’s, all thoughts of food fled her mind, as her breath caught. Finn. Finn Mahon stood in front of her at the hostess station. Here in town, in the diner. She clutched the necklace he had given her years ago. Why was he in town? He said he was never coming back. Never as in she would never see him again, never. It had felt like a real never. Both times he’d said never. The last time, he hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye as his never. Apparently, he’d changed his mind. Again.
Looking around quickly, she didn’t see anyone looking for her and figured he had to be her ‘client’. Why? He wasn’t looking for a house here in Sweet Grove. He hated this town. All through high school his only thought was to get out of here, and he had, joining the Navy at 20 after 2 short years at college, while she pined for him and as far as she knew, he’d not been back but once, over ten years ago. He had grown up just fine. No longer a skinny, lanky adolescent, he was a solidly built, tall, handsome man. Her heart fluttered just a bit and she slapped her professional smile on her face as she approached him.
“Hi, Finn,” she said, quite brilliantly, she thought, considering the gymnastics her heart and breath were doing.
“Hi, Cher,” he said. He was the only one who ever called her Cher. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“I’m here to meet a client,” she said, taking a deep breath and willing her professionalism to rise up, and cover her. There was nothing to be nervous or excited about. “He must be running late.”
“No, he’s not,” he said, and she shivered, remembering the sound of his voice. She had always loved his voice.
“You’re my client? You want to look at houses?” Okay, that brought her back to reality. She didn’t believe that for a minute. “Here in Sweet Grove?” No. He didn’t.
“I do,” he said. “I heard there was good realtor in town who could show me a few.”
“Maybe we should sit down,” she said. Yes. She needed to sit down. This, him, was not what she was expecting tonight. She didn’t even know what to say. Her head was spinning, and she knew for sure he could hear her heart pounding.
“How are your folks?” she asked. Lame.
“They retired to Michigan,” he said, pulling her chair out for her. She sat, not even bothering to say thank you. Her brain raced as she tried to think of something to say and how to control her out of control feelings. “Yours?”
“Fine. Still living here in town, waiting on grandkids.” Yeah, she shouldn’t have said that. “Matt just got married,” she added as if he would realize that was what she meant.
“And you’re a successful realtor,’ he sat down and looked in her eyes. She blinked and turned her head to fake a cough into her elbow. He needed to not look at her. His black hair and blue eyes combo always got to her. Always had.
‘And you want a house?” She asked. “I’m sorry but I find that hard to believe.”
“I’ve been gone a long time, and decided I need to have a home base and maybe an investment property,” he said as she studiously looked at her water glass.
“Here’s menus,” the waitress said cheerfully. “Can I start you off with a drink?”
Even though Charlie’s had gotten their liquor license, Cheryl knew she couldn’t have a ‘good’ drink for many reasons. “Just water is fine,” she said.
“Sweet tea,” Finn said. “You hungry?”
Well, she had been. Was she now? Who knew with all the butterflies filling her stomach and throat and entire body? No. No way could she eat. She shook her head.
“Sure?” He asked. “I’m buying.”
“I’m fine, you go ahead,” she said, her mouth on auto pilot.
“Burger with everything, onion rings and extra fries, because the lady will eat most of mine.” He handed the waitress back the menu as Cheryl tried not to let the smile that threatened to peek out. Yeah, she would. She always had.
“Still in the Navy?” She asked.
He shook his head. “Nah, they kicked me out.”
She wanted to ask, but decided not to, just yet. Maybe it was none of her business. “So, you want to settle down here in town?” She asked, still skeptical.
“Times change, people change,” he told her.
‘I find that a little hard to believe,” she retorted and sipped her water.
‘Of course, you do. Hard headed thy name is Cher,” he teased, looking at her as if he was inspecting one of his beloved motorcycles.
“Still got your bikes?” she asked, inhaling and hoping her stomach didn’t growl again when the waitress put down the platter of fried food. Traitor, it didn’t listen.
He grinned at her and her butterflies exploded again. Why did he do what he did to her? She’d reacted to him since she was fifteen and he’d put Matt’s little sister on the back of his first bike for a pity ride around the block. She firmly ignored the butterflies and reached over for a fry.
“Some things never change,” he said, grinning and she tried so hard not to melt. “So, houses.”
Houses, yes, supposedly he wanted to buy a house here in town. Put on your realtor hat, she told herself.
“So, what are you looking for? For you or a family house?” She stopped. She hadn’t even thought he might be married with a couple kids. He’d been gone a long time.
“A family house,” he said, and she completely didn’t feel her heart skip a beat. He was married. Well, fine. That made life much, much simpler, now, didn’t it?
“Good neighborhood, good schools,” she said, nodding as if her heart wasn’t aching because it wasn’t. “Three or four bedrooms, couple of bathrooms? Do you have anything in mind?”
“At least three bedrooms, and I am looking for a fixer upper,” He said between burger bites.
“There are always projects to do with a house,” she assured him, her brain on work autopilot now. “Painting, leaky faucets, change out light fixtures.”
“Yeah, those kinds of projects, plus tearing down a few walls, redoing bathrooms, whatever,” he said as if those were everyday things most people wanted to do.
“Gotcha. I’ll get some listings for us to tour, when is good for you?” She nibbled another fry.
“Is tomorrow afternoon too soon? I crashed with Hannah a while but that got old really fast so I moved into a studio apartment recently, but it will get old pretty fast too,” he said.
She was open tomorrow, she knew. “I can get them in the morning. You want to come by the office about one?” She fished in her purse and found a business card. “Here’s the address, and we can go from there.” Taking a deep breath, she bit the bullet and asked, “Will your wife be joining us?”
He looked at her and picked up an onion ring. “No. I’ll be alone.”
So, he was married. Okay then, now she knew for sure. She took one last fry and chewed on her disappointment. It was silliness. She wasn’t disappointed. He’d been gone ten years. Of course, things changed. He was a good-looking man, of course he was married. Wiping her fingers and mouth, she said, “I’m going to get to work, and I’ll have some houses to tour tomorrow. See you then.”
“It was good to see you, again,
Cher,” he said. “I’ll be there tomorrow.”
Without his wife, she reminded herself. “Looking forward to it,” she said, as she stood up and headed out the door. He could pay for his own burger. And the fries she ate.
Getting in her car, she tried to stop the trembles that overcame her. Silly body, reacting to him, that’s all it was. She’d get over it and hey, she could always use the commission. There were shoes to buy after all! Plus, he seemed pretty motivated to buy a house, for him and his wife and maybe kids. That was why he was back; more than likely. Wanted to a good place to raise his kids and Sweet Grove was that. A great place to raise kids.
She’d be in the office bright and early and find him some houses to tour. Spending the day with him alone, just the two of them. She shook her head, she’d be fine. Of course, she would. No reason she wouldn’t be. Time with him would help remind her that he wasn’t the end of her world, but just another man. Another married man who was off limits and out of bounds.
Ha! The person who’d parked in ‘her’ spot was gone. See, it's the little things, she reminded herself. It didn’t matter the guy she’d had a crush on, then been in love with was back in town, married and staying, apparently. It didn’t matter to her one bit, except that she could settle him, and his family in a house and make some money. She unlocked her door and looked around at her bright, clean, space and decided cold cereal sounded good. Or at least easy enough.
Hanging her clothes up, she got into the sweat pants and t-shirt she slept in, and put on her robe and fuzzy slippers, then went to the kitchen, poured her bowl of cereal and sat down on the couch. The remote. There it was, right where she left it, one of the perks of living alone. Nothing ever moved.
Flipping the TV on, she put her feet up on her coffee table and scrolled channels, then turned it back to the people hunting for houses. Yeah, she couldn’t get enough of that, all right.
What would Finn’s wife be like, she wondered. He’d been stationed overseas as far as she knew. Someone gorgeous and exotic with an accent that made him swoon? Of course. What else would he be wanting in a wife? For sure, not a hometown girl next door. While she knew she wasn’t ugly, she was nothing to write home about. Dark blonde hair, boring hazel eyes. Average features, average height. Average job. Finn had always wanted adventure, excitement, fun and lots of traveling. He’d never liked this town, never wanted to stay in Sweet Grove all his life. Why was he back? Why had the Navy kicked him out? What had he done? Maybe he’d gotten hurt. He looked okay, but there were many hidden disabilities. Would she find out any of the answers to her questions tomorrow? Why hadn’t Hannah told her he was back? She would have to find that out, too. Hannah was her friend, she should have let her know, not let her be blindsided. Hannah knew how she felt about Finn. Sure, they were both busy but still, a text, at least would have been nice.
Pulling the quilt she had thrown over the sofa back onto her, she put her bowl on the coffee table and settled back on the pillow. It was early for bed, but she was tired, and since she lived alone, if she wanted to go to sleep at seven thirty on the couch, she could. If she wanted to shut her eyes and remember the good times with Finn, she could do that too. Dang the man for coming back to town. And she gets to spend the day with him tomorrow. She’d dreamed of that for years. Just a little time with him, it was all she’d wanted. Hear his voice, see him, just catch up. If she was smart, she would pawn him off onto someone else in the office and act as if she didn’t know Finn and his wife were in town. Was she smart? Nope, not one little bit.
What happens next?
Don’t wait to find out…
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Read the first chapter of LOVE & ORDER, book 1 of HOLIDAYS IN HALLBROOK…
Garrett clicked the buckle of his harness into place and pulled tightly on the ends of the straps. “Ready for takeoff.” He gave the helicopter pilot a thumbs-up in case he couldn’t hear him over the low hum of the spinning blades and the motor propelling them. Normally, he would just take his own plane for such a short flight, but he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be piloting anything, making this chartered flight an easy decision.
The pilot went through a series of checks with the control tower, and it wasn’t long before the whirring sound increased and the helicopter began to vibrate with the increased power, blocking out any chance of regular conversation. The huge metal bird lifted off from a private section of the airfield. The ground below faded away until New York City became an aerial view of rooftops and skyscrapers all blended together. Garrett let out a deep breath.
The flight from La Guardia to Glen Haven, New Hampshire, the closest private airport with a helipad to Hallbrook, was ninety minutes by helicopter and then a fifteen-minute drive north to the town where he’d spent most of his childhood. It was a trip he would always regret not making more often. The news of his mother’s death had come as a shock, and now, days later, the ache he felt had deepened, spurred on by guilt. He hadn’t even known she was having heart troubles, but then according to Charlie, her friend and solicitor, she hadn’t either. Her heart attack had taken everyone by surprise. It was hard to believe she was gone.
He tamped down on the emotions trying to emerge, finding it easier to focus on what needed to be done. Once he settled his mother’s estate, there would be no reason to return to his hometown, a place he’d left long ago and only manage to visit once or twice a year, much to his mother’s consternation. Work had been his priority for as long as he could remember, and the corporate law offices of Bradley & West were proof of the success he and his best friend and partner, Jim, had achieved as a result of their dedication.
But being rated as the top law firm in Manhattan and in the top twenty nationwide didn’t do a thing to ease the pain of knowing his mother was gone forever, especially since he’d disappointed her by canceling his visit this past summer. The Baden-Hamilton merger had derailed, and the multi-million-dollar deal was his baby, and therefore his responsibility to save. And then one thing after another had popped up, and before he knew it, September was fast rolling in. But for his mother, there would be no September.
Angelica, his sister, had been notified of their mother’s passing through official Naval communication, but as a U.S. Naval officer on a submarine somewhere in the Pacific, there was no telling when she’d be home. Charlie was taking care of their mother’s arrangements per her wishes, and a woman by the name of April St. James was taking care of the house. Charlie had insisted Garrett arrive as soon as possible to deal with some legal issues. Garrett had cleared his schedule, making sure he could be at the celebration of life to honor his mother on Saturday and could stick around for the reading of her will on Monday.
Luckily, his partner would be able to help Garrett with his caseload while he was out of town. Garrett wasn’t sure where to begin with his mother’s estate. Until he talked to the solicitor and his sister, his hands were tied. He’d have to close up the house until he could sell it. Neither he nor his sister were in a position to live in or manage a country estate. Finding a buyer would be the easy part, selling it…not so much.
The place was filled with mixed memories for him and his sister, mostly because it had been the start of their new life without their father after a bitter divorce. His mother had poured her heart into the place after purchasing it, her love of the land filling her with the determination to make a success of the place. Garrett’s love, however, was for the city. His sister’s love of the sea drove her career in the Navy. They’d been three completely different people on different courses in life.
In no time at all, the pilot landed the chopper in Glen Haven, the closest town to Hallbrook that had a private airstrip. Garrett removed his seatbelt, pushed open the heavy door, and waved his thanks to the pilot. He crouched low as he jogged out from under the air current of the blades and
made his way to the waiting limousine.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Bradley. Sorry to hear about your mother. Sarah was a fine lady.” George Bowman owned the limousine service, and he still operated some of the bookings for select customers. He was used to Garrett coming and going, although the visits had been few and far between the past few years.
“Thank you. It came as quite a shock.” His mother had been an integral part of putting Hallbrook on the map. She’d not only managed to raise him and Angelica on her own, but she’d found the time to create a niche for the small town by attracting tourists to the area in search of artisan crafts made by the locals. She’d given up everything for him and his sister, including her marriage and home. And in return, he’d been a horrible son, making business more important than visiting her more often.
“If you’ll drop me at the house, that would be great. It sounds as though I’ve got a lot to do.” Garrett’s guilt factor ramped up another notch.
“Ain’t that the truth.” The man shook his head, putting the car in drive and raising the privacy window. But not before Garrett caught the odd expression peering back at him through the rearview mirror.
Garrett made a mental note of their progress as they got closer to the house.
They passed by several farms, including the largest dairy farm in the state. Old man Peterson’s place. His mother used to treat him to the delicious hand-made ice cream for excellent grades as a reward. His reward, of course, had been getting into Yale and eventually out of Hallbrook.
Love's Emerging Faith (Love's Texas Homecoming Book 3; First Street Church #20) Page 12
